I recently needed a chart in one of the asp .net website I've been working on. In the past I've never been able to find a satisfactory solution that was free or inexpensive. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that in Visual Studio 2010 and .NET 4.0, that Microsoft included new chart controls for ASP .net and for Windows forms. I figured that since they we're free and already included in C#, I might as well try them.
At first glance they appear to be pretty decent. The control includes most of the basic features that you would expect: multiple chart types (bar, line, pie), multiple series, 3D capabilities, legends. It also has a number of other features that we're well beyond what I was expecting for a free solution: advanced statistical calculations, and over 12 different categories of chart types.
My needs for the project I'm working on are very simple, so after a few minutes of looking at some examples (4 Guys From Rolla was a great starting point), I was up and running. Within a few minutes I had a basic line charts working, and shortly after that I had the legend, labels, and multiple series all working as well.
So far from what I've seen, these chart controls seem to work pretty well, even if someone had some intensive charting needs, these free chart control might still fit the bill. Definitely worth a look before buying anything to fill your charting needs.
November 23, 2010
November 18, 2010
C# Lambda Expressions
For quite a while now I have been wondering about lambda expressions. I've started seeing more and more of them in code examples, and there has obviously been a lot of talk about them. But most of the examples I've seen have not been very intuitive. I finally decided to see what they we're all about, and was surprised about how simple they are to understand. They are not really anything new, just a new shorthand for doing things that C# could already do.
I started my journey be reading chapter 11 of Pro C# 2010 and the .NET 4 Platform
(As a side note I've read a number of the other chapters, and it looks like a decent book so far.) I thought it was interesting that lambda expressions we're grouped in the same chapter as delegates and events, but after reading the chapter, it all makes sense now. This is probably oversimplifying it, but lambda expressions are just "syntactic sugar" for creating anonymous functions, and working with delegates. They allow a developer to easily write a basic inline function for event handlers or anywhere else a delegate is needed.
The basic format for lambda expressions is arguments => statement. The expressions can have 0 or more arguments and 1or more statements. The most common case I've seen is probably one argument and one statement, and the nice thing about a single statement is that the result of the statement is the "return" value of the expression. One of the other great things about lambda expressions is that in most cases the parameters can be implicitly typed, so that can mean a few less characters to type, and simpler, easier to understand expressions.
I still don't know how often I will use them, but it is nice to know how simple they are and how easily I can define event handlers now. What would have taken a significant amount of boiler plate code and definitions and a function, can now be done in a single, quick line of code.
I started my journey be reading chapter 11 of Pro C# 2010 and the .NET 4 Platform
(As a side note I've read a number of the other chapters, and it looks like a decent book so far.) I thought it was interesting that lambda expressions we're grouped in the same chapter as delegates and events, but after reading the chapter, it all makes sense now. This is probably oversimplifying it, but lambda expressions are just "syntactic sugar" for creating anonymous functions, and working with delegates. They allow a developer to easily write a basic inline function for event handlers or anywhere else a delegate is needed.The basic format for lambda expressions is arguments => statement. The expressions can have 0 or more arguments and 1or more statements. The most common case I've seen is probably one argument and one statement, and the nice thing about a single statement is that the result of the statement is the "return" value of the expression. One of the other great things about lambda expressions is that in most cases the parameters can be implicitly typed, so that can mean a few less characters to type, and simpler, easier to understand expressions.
I still don't know how often I will use them, but it is nice to know how simple they are and how easily I can define event handlers now. What would have taken a significant amount of boiler plate code and definitions and a function, can now be done in a single, quick line of code.
November 16, 2010
The Future of Computers
Over the last few years it has been exiting to see how computers have changed, and how they have changed the world. Mobile devices have become ubiquitous, almost every new computer has 2-4 cores, and software drives business throughout the world. How will things change over the next few years?
Computers will get faster
As we have started to see over the last little while, computers have started plateauing on overall speed and raw MHz. Instead computers have started getting multiple cores. I think this trend will continue, we will see 4 cores become standard and 8 eight cores become common.
Mobile devices will rule the world
Already many people are using mobile devices, but with smart phones becoming more popular and more functional, we will the web become even more important, and also more critical that it supports devices with smaller screens and different input methods like touch screens
Software Engineers will continue to be needed
Since software is already critical to the world, businesses will continue to need to buy software and hire programmers. This is good news for those of us that are in the industry, and even better news for those that are just getting started.
The future of computers looks pretty exciting. We will continue to see new technologies, and we will continue to see increases in speed. the only thing that is for certain, it that things will continue to change...
Computers will get faster
As we have started to see over the last little while, computers have started plateauing on overall speed and raw MHz. Instead computers have started getting multiple cores. I think this trend will continue, we will see 4 cores become standard and 8 eight cores become common.
Mobile devices will rule the world
Already many people are using mobile devices, but with smart phones becoming more popular and more functional, we will the web become even more important, and also more critical that it supports devices with smaller screens and different input methods like touch screens
Software Engineers will continue to be needed
Since software is already critical to the world, businesses will continue to need to buy software and hire programmers. This is good news for those of us that are in the industry, and even better news for those that are just getting started.
The future of computers looks pretty exciting. We will continue to see new technologies, and we will continue to see increases in speed. the only thing that is for certain, it that things will continue to change...
November 11, 2010
Web Development with JavaScript and AJAX
It seems like JavaScript and AJAX are becoming more and more necessary to create professional, interactive web sites. Basic HTML and even CSS just won't cut it. People expect the "bling" that JavaScript provides. I have mixed emotions about JavaScript though. It can really make a website stand out, but compared to traditional languages and development environments, it can be a pain to develop, debug, and maintain.
Part of me would say that Silverlight or Adobe Flex provides a easier environment to develop in, but they can be very heavyweight for most web sites. Maybe I just haven't found the right JavaScript framework or toolkit that really works well and makes sense. It seems like jQuery and the Google Web Toolkit are two of the most common and well known systems. jQuery seems a little more flexible, and the Google approach seems to be very tightly coupled with Java. Since I do most of my development with C# and ASP .NET, jQuery looks like a more promising solution.
Part of me would say that Silverlight or Adobe Flex provides a easier environment to develop in, but they can be very heavyweight for most web sites. Maybe I just haven't found the right JavaScript framework or toolkit that really works well and makes sense. It seems like jQuery and the Google Web Toolkit are two of the most common and well known systems. jQuery seems a little more flexible, and the Google approach seems to be very tightly coupled with Java. Since I do most of my development with C# and ASP .NET, jQuery looks like a more promising solution.
November 9, 2010
Training Software Engineers
As I mentioned in my last post about hiring software engineers, I generally categorize software developers as either programmers or software engineers. Programmers have the basic skills to get the job done, but software engineers truly understand and apply all of the techniques and ideas that come with their craft.
Given the fact that no one is a perfect software engineer; how can we help train and educate team members to reach their full potential? Here are some of the techniques that I have used, but I would love to see what successes others have had as well.
1) PowerPoint Presentation Training
This is probably one of the most straightforward techniques, but one that I have the most mixed feelings about. I believe that this type of training is necessary and important. It can be very useful to get a group of people together to review, learn, and/or discuss something. But I also think that it can have the least overall impact of the different training ideas I have used. People tend to not participate much, so the presentation is very one sided, which means it's hard for attendees to focus.
2) One-on-one training
Sitting down with someone to review something specific, or explain something can be very powerful. Since the target audience is one, it is much easier to tailor the training to the individual, and they are much more likely to provide feedback and ask questions than in a group setting. This can happen formally as code reviews, targeted training, etc., or even informally as a brief discussion based on a question or comment. Sometimes I think the informal training, even though it is generally spontaneous, can be more effective than any preplanned training. With one-on-one interaction I find that the effect can be more dramatic than in group settings.
3) Training by Example
Another approach I use is to show developers good examples of how to be a software engineer. This can be including people in design discussions, reviewing "good" code, or asking them questions to help you work through a problem. This approach also works well, and is probably the least obvious form of training from the trainees standpoint. They may never know that they were being "trained."
Overall it seems to be one of the most difficult and important parts of my job: helping people reach their potential. It's a slow and time consuming process, but it can also be very rewarding for everyone involved.
Does anyone have any other techniques they use, or more ideas on how to improve or refine the ideas I already have? Also has anyone read any good books (or other resources) about how to manage software developers? I'm always looking for new ideas.
Given the fact that no one is a perfect software engineer; how can we help train and educate team members to reach their full potential? Here are some of the techniques that I have used, but I would love to see what successes others have had as well.
1) PowerPoint Presentation Training
This is probably one of the most straightforward techniques, but one that I have the most mixed feelings about. I believe that this type of training is necessary and important. It can be very useful to get a group of people together to review, learn, and/or discuss something. But I also think that it can have the least overall impact of the different training ideas I have used. People tend to not participate much, so the presentation is very one sided, which means it's hard for attendees to focus.
2) One-on-one training
Sitting down with someone to review something specific, or explain something can be very powerful. Since the target audience is one, it is much easier to tailor the training to the individual, and they are much more likely to provide feedback and ask questions than in a group setting. This can happen formally as code reviews, targeted training, etc., or even informally as a brief discussion based on a question or comment. Sometimes I think the informal training, even though it is generally spontaneous, can be more effective than any preplanned training. With one-on-one interaction I find that the effect can be more dramatic than in group settings.
3) Training by Example
Another approach I use is to show developers good examples of how to be a software engineer. This can be including people in design discussions, reviewing "good" code, or asking them questions to help you work through a problem. This approach also works well, and is probably the least obvious form of training from the trainees standpoint. They may never know that they were being "trained."
Overall it seems to be one of the most difficult and important parts of my job: helping people reach their potential. It's a slow and time consuming process, but it can also be very rewarding for everyone involved.
Does anyone have any other techniques they use, or more ideas on how to improve or refine the ideas I already have? Also has anyone read any good books (or other resources) about how to manage software developers? I'm always looking for new ideas.
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